The Future of Engineering Lives Here

When leaders in the College of Engineering and Computer Science were dreaming up the vision for the new Engineering Lab Building (ELB), one of the goals was to create a place that mimicked the feel and function of today’s modern engineering workplace. By stacking the building with the same technologies used in industry, and organizing curriculum around projects, problem solving and entrepreneurship, students would be poised to step into their post-graduation careers and immediately become valuable contributors. Without any asterisks, we can say the building delivers. There are tons of collaboration spaces, an abundance of cool tech and a vibe that simply feels like the future. We highly recommend you come see the new ELB for yourself next time you’re on campus. Until then, here’s a quick tour.

A nod to our past

You’d never know by looking at it, but the new ELB is technically a renovation of the old engineering lab building — plus a really interesting architectural addition. Inside the main entrance, you can still see remnants of the old structure — like stout concrete columns that were left exposed after demolition.

A student-centered design

The eye-catching new wing, which we’ve taken to calling the “tower,” is absolutely one of the best places to hang out on campus, whether you’re an engineering student or not. The tower’s informal lounge areas are flooded with natural light thanks to some massive multistory windows. In fact, The old building didn’t have a single informal gathering space for study groups or project teams to work in or hang out. The new building is packed with them, and we’ve wired many with LED displays so students can easily share ideas. In some spaces, they can literally write on the walls.

Labs

In all, the ELB features 45 faculty instructional and research labs in a huge range of core and emerging engineering disciplines, including cybersecurity, mobility and transportation, game design and human factors. The bioengineering lab features a Class 10,000 “clean room” to protect delicate biological samples from contamination and power failures. The robotics lab has four types of mobile robots for studying robotic perception, movement and human-robot collaboration. Many of the labs also feature interior windows, giving you a live look at the research as it’s happening.

Flexible classrooms

What you won’t find in the new ELB: a fixed-seating lecture hall. Every space is outfitted with highly configurable furniture and technology so classes can switch from a lecture-style to a small-group format in minutes. All areas are also wired with video and audio capture technology giving professors the ability to easily record content for online and hybrid courses.

Atrium

With the exception of the Fieldhouse, the ELB’s massive, light-filled atrium is now UM-Dearborn’s largest public gathering place. It features moveable walls, exterior doors big enough to drive a car through and a 29-foot digital display. With that kind of capability, expect trade shows, exhibitions and conventions to become yet another way we showcase the world of engineering to our students.